This brand-new sequel to Nnedi Okorafor’s Shadow Speaker contains the powerful prose and compelling stories that have made Nnedi Okorafor a star of the literary science fiction and fantasy space and put her at the forefront of Africanfuturist fiction
"An epic collision of new tech and elemental magic—suspenseful, immersive, and chillingly relevant. Another stunning feat of imagination from Nnedi Okorafor." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House
Niger, West Africa, 2077
Welcome back. This second volume is a breathtaking story that sweeps across the sands of the Sahara, flies up to the peaks of the Aïr Mountains, cartwheels into a wild megacity—you get the idea.
I am the Desert Magician; I bring water where there is none.
This book begins with Dikéogu Obidimkpa slowly losing his mind. Yes, that boy who can bring rain just by thinking about it is having some…issues. Years ago, Dikéogu went on an epic journey to save Earth with the shadow speaker girl, Ejii Ubaid, who became his best friend. When it was all over, they went their separate ways, but now he’s learned their quest never really ended at all.
So Dikéogu, more powerful than ever, reunites with Ejii. He records this story as an audiofile, hoping it will help him keep his sanity or at least give him something to leave behind. Smart kid, but it won’t work—or will it?
I can tell you this: it won’t be like before. Our rainmaker and shadow speaker have changed. And after this, nothing will ever be the same again.
As they say, ‘Onye amaro ebe nmili si bido mabaya ama ama onye nyelu ya akwa oji welu ficha aru.’
Or, ‘If you do not remember where the rain started to beat you, you will not remember who gave you the towel with which to dry your body.’
Praise for Like Thunder
"An epic collision of new tech and elemental magic—suspenseful, immersive, and chillingly relevant. Another stunning feat of imagination from Nnedi Okorafor." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House
"Okorafor pulls no punches...An emotional near-future novel that will keep readers turning pages even as their mountain of questions grows larger." —Kirkus
"The impressive finale to Nebula Award winner Okorafor’s Desert Magician’s Duology.... Dikéogu’s perspective lends greater depth to Okorafor’s apocalyptic Saharan world." —Publishers Weekly
"Like Thunder is an excellent demonstration of [Okorafor's] gifts as a novelist: it is inventive, fast-paced, and deeply concerned with difficult journeys to self-discovery, as well as the transformative costs of such adventures." —Los Angeles Review of Books
"Compelling and captivating from the first page...a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful message delivered." — Marlene Harris, Reading Reality
Praise for Shadow Speaker, Book 1 of the Desert Magician's Duology
"A mind-blowing expedition into a not too distant future world."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Shadow Speaker is wonderful, highly original stuff, episode after amazing episode, full of color, life and death…. Nnedi also deals head-on with the fact that power and pain are closely linked, as are magic and blood. I think this book is marvelous.” —Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl’s Moving Castle and the Chronicles of Chrestomanci
“There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness
“Shadow Speaker is endlessly imaginative, full of mystery and delight on every page. Nnedi Okorafor is a voice that will delight readers of all ages and backgrounds.” —Tananarive Due, American Book Award-winning author of Joplin’s Ghost
Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning New York Times–bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults, and children. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is known for drawing from African cultures to create captivating stories with unforgettable characters and evocative settings. Nnedi's works have received the World Fantasy, Nebula, Eisner, Lodestar, Nommo, and Hugo Awards, amongst others. Nnedi holds a PhD in Literature and two Master's Degrees (Journalism and Literature), and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her daughter Anyaugo. Learn more at nnedi.com.
View titles by Nnedi Okorafor
This brand-new sequel to Nnedi Okorafor’s Shadow Speaker contains the powerful prose and compelling stories that have made Nnedi Okorafor a star of the literary science fiction and fantasy space and put her at the forefront of Africanfuturist fiction
"An epic collision of new tech and elemental magic—suspenseful, immersive, and chillingly relevant. Another stunning feat of imagination from Nnedi Okorafor." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House
Niger, West Africa, 2077
Welcome back. This second volume is a breathtaking story that sweeps across the sands of the Sahara, flies up to the peaks of the Aïr Mountains, cartwheels into a wild megacity—you get the idea.
I am the Desert Magician; I bring water where there is none.
This book begins with Dikéogu Obidimkpa slowly losing his mind. Yes, that boy who can bring rain just by thinking about it is having some…issues. Years ago, Dikéogu went on an epic journey to save Earth with the shadow speaker girl, Ejii Ubaid, who became his best friend. When it was all over, they went their separate ways, but now he’s learned their quest never really ended at all.
So Dikéogu, more powerful than ever, reunites with Ejii. He records this story as an audiofile, hoping it will help him keep his sanity or at least give him something to leave behind. Smart kid, but it won’t work—or will it?
I can tell you this: it won’t be like before. Our rainmaker and shadow speaker have changed. And after this, nothing will ever be the same again.
As they say, ‘Onye amaro ebe nmili si bido mabaya ama ama onye nyelu ya akwa oji welu ficha aru.’
Or, ‘If you do not remember where the rain started to beat you, you will not remember who gave you the towel with which to dry your body.’
Reviews
Praise for Like Thunder
"An epic collision of new tech and elemental magic—suspenseful, immersive, and chillingly relevant. Another stunning feat of imagination from Nnedi Okorafor." —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House
"Okorafor pulls no punches...An emotional near-future novel that will keep readers turning pages even as their mountain of questions grows larger." —Kirkus
"The impressive finale to Nebula Award winner Okorafor’s Desert Magician’s Duology.... Dikéogu’s perspective lends greater depth to Okorafor’s apocalyptic Saharan world." —Publishers Weekly
"Like Thunder is an excellent demonstration of [Okorafor's] gifts as a novelist: it is inventive, fast-paced, and deeply concerned with difficult journeys to self-discovery, as well as the transformative costs of such adventures." —Los Angeles Review of Books
"Compelling and captivating from the first page...a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful message delivered." — Marlene Harris, Reading Reality
Praise for Shadow Speaker, Book 1 of the Desert Magician's Duology
"A mind-blowing expedition into a not too distant future world."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Shadow Speaker is wonderful, highly original stuff, episode after amazing episode, full of color, life and death…. Nnedi also deals head-on with the fact that power and pain are closely linked, as are magic and blood. I think this book is marvelous.” —Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl’s Moving Castle and the Chronicles of Chrestomanci
“There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness
“Shadow Speaker is endlessly imaginative, full of mystery and delight on every page. Nnedi Okorafor is a voice that will delight readers of all ages and backgrounds.” —Tananarive Due, American Book Award-winning author of Joplin’s Ghost
Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning New York Times–bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults, and children. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is known for drawing from African cultures to create captivating stories with unforgettable characters and evocative settings. Nnedi's works have received the World Fantasy, Nebula, Eisner, Lodestar, Nommo, and Hugo Awards, amongst others. Nnedi holds a PhD in Literature and two Master's Degrees (Journalism and Literature), and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her daughter Anyaugo. Learn more at nnedi.com.
View titles by Nnedi Okorafor
